Moving On (9 page)

Karen detested living in Loudon Square from the moment she arrived in Cardiff. She particularly disliked Jamil; she was suspicious of his motives even though Hadyn seemed to trust him.

From the first days after their arrival, Hadyn insisted that they stayed in their room. Jamil brought them meals, most of which Karen found distasteful. She longed to go out and enjoy a good English meal but Hadyn insisted that it wasn’t safe to do so.

‘We don’t need to stay around here, we could drive out into the countryside and find a restaurant there,’ she argued.

‘This is Cardiff not Liverpool, I don’t know the area outside the city,’ he told her.

‘Then let’s explore; it could be fun. Anything would be better than being cooped up in here,’ she said tetchily.

‘Not yet, it’s far too dangerous. We might be recognized,’ he cautioned. ‘Have patience. Another few days and then perhaps we can do something like that.’

Each morning when Jamil brought in their breakfast, he always had some news of some kind that he confided to Hadyn in a conspiratorial whisper. All the time he kept glancing uneasily at Karen as if afraid she might hear what he was saying.

When Karen asked what Jamil had said Hadyn usually shrugged and said, ‘Oh, nothing of any importance.’

His refusal to take her completely into his confidence irked Karen. She knew that if Hadyn was charged with drug smuggling then she would probably be regarded as an accessory or even considered to be as guilty as he was.

She certainly didn’t want to end up in prison and she wondered if perhaps the best thing to do was separate from him before the police traced his whereabouts.

Apart from the fear of being caught there was no other reason why she should stay. Hadyn had changed so much that she was no longer in love with him and the hold he had once had over her was gone.

They were no longer lovers. He hadn’t made love to her once since they’d arrived in Cardiff.

That first night in Loudon Square when she had longed for the comforting feel of his arms around her, of his lips on hers; when she had needed to know he cared and that he still loved her, he had turned his back towards her in bed and there had not been any reconciliation since then.

The problem of how to make her escape filled every minute of Karen’s waking hours. To start with she was in a strange city and she had very little money, so how was she going to be able to afford to buy a train ticket back to Liverpool?

Then there was the problem of escaping from the house without either Jamil or Hadyn seeing her leave. Even if she could avoid them she wasn’t sure that there weren’t other people living in the house and if there were then they might tell Jamil.

She had almost abandoned the idea when Jamil came rushing into their room to tell Hadyn that he must come with him at once and move his car.

‘Someone has spotted it and asked who it belongs to,’ he said in a nervous voice. ‘They are talking about reporting it to the police. I know of a warehouse on the dockside where you can hide it away out of sight and it will be safe there from prying eyes.’

‘I’ll do it after dark tonight,’ Hadyn told him. ‘It’s too risky to do it now.’

‘No, you must do it now. You must take the risk. You don’t seem to understand that here in Tiger Bay the police are very suspicious. Once they are informed about the car they will start asking questions. Come. I will accompany you.’

Hadyn’s mouth tightened. ‘Very well, if you think it is that important. You wait here, lock the door behind me, and don’t open it to anyone,’ he told Karen.

‘Will you be gone long?’

‘As long as it takes,’ he told her curtly. ‘Remember now, lock the door and don’t open it to anyone and keep well away from the window.’

Although she promised to do so and nodded as though in agreement, the moment Hadyn and Jamil left the room she went straight to the window and pulled one corner of the curtain aside so that she could see when they left the building.

The minute she saw them walk down the road and then turn a corner, she put on her hat and coat, picked up her handbag and headed for the front door.

She hoped she wouldn’t meet anyone but if she did and they questioned where she was going she decided she would tell them that she was hurrying to catch up with Hadyn and Jamil because they had left something behind.

Once she was out in Loudon Square breathing fresh air Karen felt elated. She had no idea which way to go but that no longer seemed to matter. She was free; not only from being imprisoned in the house but from Hadyn as well. All she had to do now was get well away from Loudon Square and for that matter from Tiger Bay.

As a trolley bus lumbered past her with the destination ‘CITY CENTRE’ emblazoned on it she decided to walk to the nearest stop and catch the next one that came along.

She’d find a cafe or restaurant once she reached the main part of the city and have a cup of tea while she planned what to do next. If she decided that she wanted to go straight back to Liverpool she would ask someone to direct her to the railway station. Or perhaps, since she had never been to Cardiff before, she would have a quick look round before she left, she told herself.

As she explored the shops in the city centre, Karen lost all count of time. There were so many large department stores, some of them even better than the ones she knew in Liverpool.

Eventually she stopped for a cup of tea and a sandwich, but instead of making for the railway station she went on exploring. She loved the maze of brightly lit arcades all packed with individual shops. They seemed to lead from one to the other all over the city centre.

Emerging from Castle Arcade she found herself facing the crenellated walls and towers of Cardiff Castle. She was so intrigued by the site of the original Norman castle high on the hillside beside it that she followed the road round to see where it took her.

Suddenly she found she was in the civic centre and its breathtaking panorama of Portland stone buildings; the impressive city hall, its clock tower and dragon emblem outlined dramatically against the sky, and close by it the National Museum. She went into Cathays Park with its marble memorial and stared across the road at the imposing edifice of the Law Courts.

The sight of the stream of policemen going in and out of that building brought her back to reality. Quickly she turned on her heel and made her way back towards the shopping centre. She knew it was possible that one of them might recognize her, that was if her description and that of Hadyn had been circulated, and there was no sense in taking unnecessary risks.

It would be better not to delay her departure from Cardiff any longer, she told herself. By now both Hadyn and Jamil would have returned to Loudon Square and when they discovered she was missing they might set out to look for her.

‘You’d be better going to St Mary Street,’ a woman told her when she asked someone in Queen Street where she could get a bus to the railway station, ‘There’s buses to everywhere from there. Mind you, it’s a bit pointless getting one there because you are only a hundred yards or so from Wood Street where the station is.’

‘So how do I get to St Mary’s Street?’ Karen asked.

‘Cut through the David Morgan arcade,
cariad
, and then when you come to the other end ask somebody to direct you and you’ll be there in next to no time.’

Karen took her at her word and followed her instructions. Fifteen minutes later she was sitting on the station platform waiting for the next train to Liverpool.

She spent the journey home trying to sort out in her mind what she was going to do next. She couldn’t go back to Hadyn’s house in Calderstones in case the police were watching the place.

When she reached Lime Street she went into the ladies’ room and checked on how much money she had left in her purse. As she feared, there was very little left after paying for her train ticket. And she certainly didn’t have enough money left to book into anywhere, not even for one night.

She had enough to buy a ticket across to Wallasey on the ferry. So the only option she had, she reasoned, was to go to Merseyside Mansions and see if her grandmother would give her a bed and let her stay there with her for a few days until she could make other plans. It was far too late to do that tonight so she would have to stay where she was.

She made herself as comfortable as she could in the waiting room and settled down to sleep. If a porter came along then she would say she was waiting for an early morning train or something, she decided.

She felt cold and hungry and was so uncomfortable that she only slept in short spells. Her mind was churning with the trauma that lay ahead. The biggest problem was, she thought worriedly, what am I going to tell my grandmother? She certainly didn’t want her to know that she had been carrying drugs as she went backwards and forwards on her various trips. Or tell her that Hadyn was a drug smuggler and that the police were on his trail and that she could very well be considered as guilty as him.

So what am I to tell her? she pondered. Could she make up a story about ill health, or would that give rise to complications because Jenny would want to know the details. Should she tell her she was tired of her job and wanted a change. It sounded feasible but if she said that then her grandmother would want to know why she was giving up her life with Hadyn.

Perhaps, if she told her that she had quarrelled with Hadyn, that would give her a plausible reason for giving up her job as well. Would her grandmother believe her if she said she’d been forced to leave because she couldn’t bear to work in the same company as him any longer? Or should she say that Hadyn had sacked her? If she said that then Jenny would want to know why, and try as she might she couldn’t think of a valid reason.

It was all so complicated that she decided to leave a decision about what she would tell Jenny until she reached Wallasey. Perhaps she’d be lucky and Gran wouldn’t ask too many questions or, if she did, by then she’d have had some sort of inspiration and know what to tell her.

Most of the residents at Merseyside Mansions were gathered in the large communal lounge, their eyes glued to a television set that someone had brought down and set up on a low table in the middle of the room. They were all clutching slips of paper carrying the name of a horse and, with their glasses primed, they were so intent on waiting for the start of the 1977 Grand National that very few of them noticed Karen’s arrival.

Jenny was startled to see her. She had not heard from her for weeks.

Momentarily she was shocked by Karen’s appearance. Her dark blonde hair was straggly and looked as though it was in need of a wash; her clothes were crumpled almost as if she had slept in them. Jenny immediately wondered if she’d been ill.

Karen put a restraining hand on her grandmother’s shoulder as she stood up to greet her and shook her head when Jenny offered to take her along to her apartment.

‘There’s no rush. Stay and see what the result of the race is first,’ she said in a low voice as she perched herself on the arm of Jenny’s chair.

It was the Major who first caught sight of Karen and all his attention was immediately focused on her. Ramming his monocle into one eye, he regarded her with interest. ‘Good to see you again, m’dear,’ he greeted her enthusiastically. ‘Staying long?’

Karen smiled warmly as she returned his greeting but didn’t commit herself in any way, so Jenny constrained herself and said nothing although she, too, was curious to know.

Someone shushed them to silence and pointed towards the television screen where the big race of the day was in progress.

Red Rum was the favourite and no one knew who held the ticket bearing that horse’s name. Dan Grey had organized the draw and he’d given them all sealed slips and asked them not to open them until the race was over.

Tension grew as the race drew to a close and when Red Rum was pronounced the winner, there were cheers and clapping. Everybody tore open their slip, each one of them hoping that they would be the one to find that name on it.

When Lionel Bostock discovered that he was the one holding the winning ticket there were further cheers all round.

Lionel raised his glass as everyone toasted his success and Dan Grey duly handed over the winnings. Lionel insisted on fetching a bottle of champagne from his apartment and so the glasses were refilled and the jollity continued for over an hour.

Then, one by one, they took their leave and went back to their own apartments. As soon as Jenny could prise Karen away from the Major’s long rambling stories about race meetings he had attended in the past she shepherded her up to her own rooms, eager to know why she had come and how long she would be staying.

Karen knew that the moment she had been dreading, the moment when she would have to explain things to her grandmother, had arrived. She couldn’t put off telling her that she was no longer working for Hadyn Trimm.

‘Really!’ Jenny raised her eyebrows in surprise. ‘Why is that?’

Karen hesitated and then took a deep breath, deciding that she might as well tell her the truth and get everything over at once rather than prolong things.

‘Moving in with Hadyn Trimm was a terrible mistake, but I had no idea what he was really like,’ she admitted in a contrite voice.

‘You mean you fell for his looks and charm and found they’d worn thin,’ Jenny commented drily. ‘What did you expect, he’s twice your age, in fact he’s old enough to be your father. You might have known he wanted you for one thing only,’ she added bitterly.

‘It was nothing like that,’ Karen said in a small voice. ‘I didn’t know that he was into buying and selling drugs,’ she explained, her voice trembling.

‘He was doing what!’ Jenny looked at her in horror, realizing that the rumours Jane Phillips had hinted at were probably true.

With an exaggerated shiver Karen recounted an edited version of what had happened over the last few days and how Hadyn had forced her to go with him to seek refuge in Loudon Place in Cardiff and how she had managed to escape and get back to Liverpool again.

‘Surely you must have thought it odd that he always wanted you to carry and collect packages for him whenever you went abroad,’ Jenny said with a frown.

‘Not really,’ Karen told her. ‘He was my boss, remember. I was only doing what I was told.’

‘Yes, I suppose that’s true enough.’ Jenny sighed. ‘So what happens now?’

‘I don’t know, Gran, except that he is hiding because the police are looking for him and want to question him. I do hope the police don’t think I had anything to do with it,’ she added.

‘You did though,’ Jenny pointed out worriedly. ‘You may have acted in all innocence but you were the carrier, the go-between, so if they have been watching him then they are bound to know that you were involved as well.’

Karen shuddered. ‘I don’t really want to talk about it, Gran.’ She sniffled.

Jenny felt nonplussed. She didn’t know much about the law but she was pretty sure that if they were looking for Hadyn Trimm they must know all about his activities and would be looking for Karen as well because they would consider her to be an accomplice.

‘So what are you planning to do?’ she asked anxiously. ‘It might be best if you went to the police and told them exactly what you have been telling me. That way they might be lenient and you might get let off with a caution.’

‘No.’ Karen shook her head. ‘I can’t do that; it would be too risky. I was hoping I could stay here for a while until all the fuss died down. After that I’ll try and find a new job.’

Jenny felt alarmed. Could she be in trouble if she was found to be harbouring a criminal, she wondered. Still, that was a chance she would have to take. After all, Karen was her granddaughter and, although she was now in her twenties, she still felt responsible for her.

‘Of course you are welcome to do that but you will have to sleep on the settee, so you won’t be very comfortable.’

‘That will be fine, Gran. At the moment I’m so tired I could sleep anywhere. I spent last night in the ladies’ waiting room at Lime Street Station because I didn’t have enough money to go anywhere else and I didn’t think that you would want me arriving on your doorstep in the early hours of the morning.’

‘What are you going to do about your own flat and your clothes and so on,’ Jenny questioned her.

Karen looked puzzled. ‘I haven’t got a flat, and I can hardly go back to Hadyn’s house for my clothes and stuff without running into the police. They’ll be watching his place, probably searching every inch of it, and they’ll probably turn his office over as well,’ she said dramatically.

‘So what are you going to wear in the meantime?’ Jenny frowned.

‘You’ll have to loan me some of your clothes. We are about the same size, though I’ll probably look a freak in them.’ She giggled.

Jenny ignored the jibe. She was too busy planning ahead.

‘So if you haven’t bought a flat then you still have all the money I gave you after I sold Warren Point,’ she said thoughtfully. ‘That means that we could both make a fresh start. If I sold this flat then we could buy a bigger place and live together again.’

‘What on earth would you want to do that for, Gran?’ Karen asked rather irritably. ‘You like it here, don’t you?’

‘It’s all right, but it does have its drawbacks,’ Jenny said with pursed lips. ‘Too many older people for my liking. Most of them have nothing else to do but watch what goes on and either criticize or grumble.’

‘Surely you enjoy the company though, Gran. Each time I come I’ve found you are in the community lounge mixing with them all.’

‘What else can I do except sit here on my own and watch television or read a book. I walk or go shopping during the day but I don’t like going out at night, not on my own.’

Karen shook her head but remained silent, her green eyes looked troubled.

‘Think about it Karen,’ Jenny persisted in a cajoling voice, ‘If we were sharing then I would be there to look after the place and do your washing and cook your meals. If we bought the place as a joint venture then when I died it would be yours.’

‘Forget it, Gran. We can’t afford to do it.’

‘Rubbish, of course we can. If I sell this place and you put your money with mine …’

‘Stop right there, Gran,’ Karen ordered in a tight voice. ‘I can’t go halves with you because I haven’t the money to do so.’

‘What on earth are you on about? After the sale of the house I gave you half of the money like your father wanted me to do.’

‘I let Hadyn invest it for me and … and … well that’s it; there’s no way I can get it back unless I admit that I was an associate of his and then I’ll be accused of smuggling drugs and …’ Tears overtook her as she broke down into a sobbing heap.

Jenny stared at her for several minutes in silence. The colour had drained from her face and she was shaking like a leaf. She couldn’t believe that every penny of Karen’s inheritance had been fleeced off her by that scoundrel Hadyn Trimm. How foolish could Karen be, she thought, aghast; how had he talked her into parting with a small fortune when he was supposed to be such a wealthy man? Surely there must be some way they could reclaim it without divulging the sort of things Karen had done for him.

Or, as she had suggested earlier, would it be better if Karen went to the police straight away and gave herself up. If she pleaded innocence and told them that he had fooled her into thinking it was all part of her job to act as a courier they might even let her off with a caution.

The enormity of the problem went round and round in Jenny’s head, hammering at her skull until she found it impossible to think clearly.

Karen was still curled up in a heap in the armchair, her shoulders heaving, still sobbing as if her heart would break. Surely there must be some sane solution to all this, Jenny thought wearily.